Collar-supporter.



J. W. SGHLOSS.

COLLAR SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, mos.

Patented Feb, 23, 1909.

TN: NORRIS PETERS ca wnsnmm'nrv a. c

JOSEPH W. SGHLOSS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COLLAR-SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Feb. 23, 1909.

Application filed April 20, 1908. Serial No. 428,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. SoHLoss, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collar-Supporters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descri tion.

T is invention relates to stays or sup porters for garments and has special reference to devices for stiffening or supporting ladies collars and neckwear.

Owing to the lacy or light construction in which ladies collars are often made up, it is desrable to introduce a device of some character to hold them in shape. In my prior patent No. 804,556, issued Nov. 1d, 1905, I have set forth a stifiener which is adapted to the above purposes, and which includes an elongated closed loop of tough paper or celluloid having two parallel sides and rounded ends, the material thus formed being covered with a wrapping of silk floss or other light stranded material. This form of stiffener is particularly advantageous since the rounded ends are not liable to wear through the collar and scratch the neck of the wearer. The loop form, moreover, gives the stiffener a skeleton or open-work nature which renders it inconspicuous or practically invisible in use.

Ladies collars are now constructed much higher than heretofore, making necessary a very long stiffener or supporter, particularly at the back and sides. With a very long stifiener constructed in accordance with my above patent, certain diiiiculties arise, particularly a tendency of the stiffener to warp or twist out of shape in use or when dam pend in cleaning. Or it is possible that the separate members of the loop might buckle in opposite directions, which would distort the stifiener and interfere with its functions. WVith these long stiifeners a greater security of fastening is also required to prevent longitudinal displacement.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a construction adapted to meet these additional requirements and difliculties which are inherent in the long stiffeners or supporters now used.

With this object in view, my invention consists in the features of construction and combination as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the body of the supporter before the covering is applied; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same completed, and Fig. 8 is a view of the stiffener applied to a lace collar.

The core or body of the supporter is indicated by a and may be stamped or otherwise formed out of stiff, tough paper, celluloid, thin steel, or other suitable material. It has the general outline of a closed loop having two long sides or members a parallel and connected together at their cxtremeties by curved ends Z) which merge into the side members and have a section uniform therewith. At one or more points between the curved ends b I provide connecting bridges or webs 0 between the side members a and preferably integrally formed therewith. I have illustrated two of these connecting bridges or webs equally spaced apart from one another and from the ends 6 of the device. The entire core or body, including the connecting bridges or webs c, is covered by wrapping its members with silk or other soft floss which may have any color to correspond with the garment in which it is to be used. This covering may be applied by means of a needle passed successively through the openings in the loop so as to wind the material individually upon the members thereof between the connecting bridges or webs c, and entirely across the body of the stiffener at the location of these bridges or webs. At the completion of this operation the stiffener has the appearance shown in Fig. 2.

In applying this device to a ladys collar, it is set vertically on the inside of the same at such points as the stiffener will be most effective, and it is sewed in place by a few stitches passed around the members or rounded ends of the loop in about the same way that the floss covering is applied. A few stitches should also be taken through the openings of the loop and around the connecting bridges or webs c, as shown at (Z in Fig. 3. This latter fastening is particularly effective because it is evident that it is adapted to resist displacement of the loop in every possible direction, which is not true of the stitches taken at any other place in the loop. This latter feature of the present invention is particularly advantageous in the use of long supporters or stiffeners which should be fastened with special security to avoid longitudinal or other displacement when in use. When the stiffener is secured upon a collar in this way, the collar or garment is engaged at a continuous series of points along the length of the stiffener and properly supported throughout. The rounded ends of the stifiener have no tendency to cut through the cover and are not, in any way uncomfortable to the person wearing the device.

What I claim is A ladys collar supporter or stifl ener comprising a core or body of resilient or flexible material in the form of a closed loop, having two long sides or members connected together by rounded end portions integral therewith and merging into the outline of the side members, and intermediate connecting webs or bridges, the said members and webs or bridges being individually covered by a stranded material spirally wound upon the same and extending around the end portions thereof, so as to completely inelose said body, said stranded material extending clear across the body of the stiflener at the location of the webs 0r bridges, and covering a greater longitudinal extent at the location of said webs or bridges than the width of said webs or bridges, whereby the webs or bridges are substantially concealed. In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

J OSEPH W. SCHLOSS. Witnesses VJALDO M. CHAPIN, MARY S. HANDY. 

